Dragging equipment detector



July 25, 1961 Filed April 27. 1959 IMM In 40,. ..3 @3W/u l w W fi KT W 9; ET ILII j. EMF E Z, Z

wir im United States Patent O 2,993,988 DRAGGING EQUIPMENT DETECTOR Ernest K. Post, Collingswood, 'and Jacob J. Voigt, Jr., Longport, NJ., assignors to National Accessories Co., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 809,302 3 Claims. (Cl. 246-169) The present invention relates to dragging equipment detectors for railroads.

A purpose of the invention is to facilitate the replacement and servicing of broken parts of dragging equipment detectors.

A further purpose is to reduce the likelihood that a dragging equipment detector may be out of service for an extended period of time after it has indicated the presence of dragging equipment.

A further purpose is to permit more accurate adjustrnent and setting of a dragging equipment detector particularly with variations in rail size.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings we have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may `appear, selecting the forni shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory oper-ation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIGURE y1 is a transverse section of a railroad showing lthe dragging equipment detector of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE l.

Figure 3 a section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section on the `line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary end elevation showing the dragging equipment detector of the invention after it has operated to break the break bar.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the -prior art extensive use has been made of dragging equipment detectors of the character of my U.S. Patent INo. 2,435,365, granted February 3, 1948, for Dragging Equipment Detector.

In this -fonm a heavy cast iron loop is positioned transversely of the rails either between the rails or outside the rails, and the loop forms part of an electric signal circuit, so that when the loop is broken by the presence of dragging equipment the signal system will be set to require the train to stop, thus averting the danger of a wreck.

Unfortunately ,when it is necessary to replace a broken cast iron loop, the maintenance personnel must take the component to the particular location, which is often quite remote from a headquarters point, and install it. The cast iron loops are necessarily heavy, bulky and awkward.

Furthermore, the installation is somewhat time consunnng.

There has also been difficulty in the prior art in making proper adjustments vfor the exact height requirements of the cast iron loops to meet the particular conditions inside the track and outside the track.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved construction has Ibeen developed which uses a breaker bar which is relatively light, inexpensive and easy to install but very reliable in operation.

Furthermore in the device of the invention the abutment dellected -by dragging equipment on the train is very easily adjusted.

Furthermore the component which s broken in the ice present invention is remote from the abutment, and there is much less danger than in the prior art that broken segments can fly around. j

Considering the drawings in detail, werillustrate a railway track having rails 20 which are resting on tie plates 21 on a tie 22 which extends transversely of the rails.

Arranged in pairs at intervals between the rails and also outside the rails are supporting lugs 23 which are conveniently bolted in place by bolts 24 extending through the ties longitudinally of the rails and received in bolt grooves 2.5 at the bottom of the lugs.

Adjacent the top the lugs have both holes 25 which receive bolts 26, suitably two for each lug, extending through spacing washers 27 and through a pivot bar 28 which extends transversely of the rails and is thus bolted to the lugs. The pivot bar 28 at its opposite ends has rounded pivot portions 30 which extends through pivot openings 31 of rockers 32 which are swingable about the pivots. Each of the rockers has a normal position in which its upright is inclined slightly toward the direction from which the train is moving on the particular track. Each rocker has a normally upright portion 33 which is provided with a lower slot 34 extending longitudinally of the rocker and an upper slot 35 likewise extending longitudinally. The portion of the rocker adjoining the upper slot is provided with a series of teeth 36 on the side opposite to that from which the train is coming, which cooperate with similar teeth 37 on the face of a nut 38 which is thus adjustable and held in a particular adjusted position in the length of the slot 35. The nut of course bridges across the two sides of the slot 35.

The nut 38 cooperates with a bolt `40 extending through the slot 35 and also through a suitable opening in an abutment 41 suitably a steel plate which extends across from one rocker to another and is supported by the bolts 40 and also by auxiliary bolts 42 in the slots 34.

It will thus be evident that the upper sensing edge 43 of the abutment y41 can be adjusted as to height, to suit the requirements of the particular track and rolling stock. As shown in FIGURE 1 the sensing edges y43 of the abutments between the rails are set lower and the sensing edges 432 of the abutments at the outsides of the rails are set relatively higher in order to function most eiectively.

At the lower most ends ofthe rockers there are extensions v44 substantially opposite to the top extensions 33 and the extensions 44 at their lower ends have slots 45 which receive and engage breaker bars 46 suitably of cast iron. 'Ille breaker bars extend longitudinally of the ties and transverse to the rails across the lugs and are secured to the lugs by bolts 47. Each of the ends of the breaker bai is provided with a contact openings 48 which receives a suitable contact ybolt to connect wiring 50 extending from one breaker bar to the next or wiring 51 which is connected -to the signal system in the same manner as the wiring employed in dragging equipment detectors in the prior art.

Thus, when the equipment is in the vigilant position, electric current is flowing through yall the breaker bars, and when the equipment encounters dragging equipment on rolling stock the abutment 41 is dragged in the direc- 'tion of arrow 52 of FIGURE 6, breaking the breaker bar 46 and interrupting the circuit.

In operation, it will be evident that once the equipment is installed, lthe abutments will be maintained upright in the position of FIGURES l to 5, inclusive, and the signal system will remain clear as far as this device is concerned.

lDragging equipment will deliect one or more of the abutments and break one or more of the breaker bars.

Patented July 25, .1961.

This will throw the signal to the warning or emergency position. In order to restore the detector to operation, it is merely necessary to replace one or more of the breaker bars, thus re-establishing the electric circuit.

It will be evident that while the breaker bars are easily broken by dragging equipment on a train, they are ladequately strong to prevent tampering by children or other unauthorized persons.

While it has been indicated that the breaker bar should be made of cast iron, the other components of the structure will conveniently be made of steel, except of course for the ties which will be of wood.

In View of our invention and disclosure, variations and modications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of our invention without copying the structure shown, and we, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of our claims.

Having thus described my invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dragging equipment detector adapted to be used on a railway, comprising a support mounted below the top of the rails of the railway, a pivot positioned on the support transverse to the rails and having a horizontal axis, rocker means mounted on the pivot, said rocker means having a normal upright position extending above the pivot and a deflected position in which the rocker means is rotated about the pivot axis, abutment means mounted on the rocker means and adapted to be deflected by dragging equipment on a railway vehicle, a metallic breaker bar extending across the rocker means, electric contacts for passing an electric signal current through the breaker bar, and means on the rocker means for breaking the breaker bar when `the rocker is deflected from its normal position by dragging equipment striking the abutment means.

2. A detector of claim 1, in which the rocker means has a slot remote from the pivot, and the breaker bar passes through the slot.

3. A dragging equipment detector for use on a railway adjoining the rails, comprising lugs adapted to be secured to the railway ties, a pivot bar having opposed pivots at its ends secured to the lugs and extending generally horizontally transverse to the rails, rockers pivoted on the respective pivots of the pivot bar, each of said rockers having a normally upstanding end and having a normally downwardly extending end, there being slots `in the normally downwardly extending ends of the rockers transverse to the rails at a position remote from the pivot, a metallic breaker bar extending across through the slots of the rockers and secured to the lugs, abutment means extending transversely to the rails secured on the normally upstanding ends of the rockers, and Contact means for supplying electric current to low through the breaker bar.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 958,923 Jensen May 24, 1910 1,766,639 Howe June 24, 1930 1,819,390 Seager Aug. 18, 1931 2,435,365 Post Feb. 3, 1948 2,581,084 Dryden Ian. 1, 1952 2,662,973 McGowan et al. Dec. 15, 1953 2,685,876 Sanderson Aug. 10, 1954 2,691,722 Lewis Oct. 12, 1954 

